Gradly

It seems that Christopher Nolan has used the plot of the now-classic Batman comic book storyline “Knightfall” as the basis for his upcoming third and final Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises. This theory looks true as the title of the film (what is Batman “rising” from, exactly?) and the fact that Bane (Tom Hardy) would be the prominent villain in the movie.

Today, we have a brief and shoddy video from the Dark Knight Rises set, which nonetheless lends credit to the theory that “Knightfall” is indeed a reference point for Nolan’s film.

This is what screenrant had to say about the Batman comic book history:

In “Knightfall,” criminal mastermind Bane comes to Gotham City looking to become its new crime lord. Of course, there’s the small matter of getting Batman out of the way, so Bane decides to occupy the Dark Knight by staging a brazen prison break that floods the streets of Gotham with all the criminals Batman has put away. As the Caped Crusader sets out on a desperate quest to recapture all the loosed villains, Bane watches and waits. Finally, when Batman is worn down to his lowest ebb, Bane steps in to finish the job by beating Batman senseless and breaking his back. However, Batman eventually recovers from his injuries and returns to save the day.

Now, the set video below is hard to make out, but what it basically depicts is a scene in which Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) arrives at a nightspot in his fancy Lamborghini, and doesn’t so much walk the red carpet as he does hobble, aided by a cane.

There are other tidbits from the film that – when combined with this new set video – certainly tie together to form a pretty secure web of evidence that suggests that Bane will injure Batman/Bruce Wayne at some point in the movie. Check out the following pieces of the puzzle:

• The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer contains hints like Bruce Wayne training his body (to recover from an injury?), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) claiming that Batman “went away” (because he’s injured?) and a brief shot of what looks to be a frightened Batman fighting a losing battle against Bane.
• Set photos/videos of a big prison break sequence (like in ‘Knightfall’).
• Speculation that the crowd of supporting characters – like Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s cop character or Anne Hathway’s Catwoman – are actually going to be helping out an injured Batman.
• Set pics of what look to be “Lazarus Pits,” which are known in Batman lore for their healing waters. Could Bruce Wayne use them to repair his broken body (or is that too ‘out there’ for a Nolan Batman film)?

Do you think this video is evidence that Bane will indeed ‘Break the Bat’?

The Dark Knight Rises in theaters on July 20, 2012.